Building-directory.



T. C. BURNSIDE.

BUILDING DIRECTORY. APPLICATION FILED AUG-31, 1915.

i: 1 ,641 Patented May 2, 1916.

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BUILDING DIRECTORY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3111915. 1 181 641 Patented May 2,1916.

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THOMAS C. BURNSIDE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR, BY IMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'IO ANDREW ABBOTT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BUILDING-DIRECTORY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed August 31, 1915. Serial No. 48,249.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. BURNsIDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Building-Directories, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a building directory of the type which'is placed in the corridor and contains the names of the occupants of the building and the principal object of the invention is to provide a directory of the type specified which is so constructed that the individual name strip may be securely held in place and at the same time may be easily removed when desired to change the same.

Another object of the inventionis to provide an improved type of removable door carrying the glass through which the name strips are seen, the door being so held in place that it may be entirely removed from the frame when desired.

Another object of the invention'is to so construct this directory that when the door is in place a dust-proof closure will be provided thus preventing the name strips from being soiled by dust or injured by exposure to the weather.

Another object of the invention is to so construct thedoor that the glass thereof will press against the name strips and securely hold the same in position.

This improved directory is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view showing the directory in front elevation one side portion thereof being broken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line 41 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the lower end portion of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of one. of the side strips of the frame car vying the name strips.

The main frame 10 of this directory is provided with a. cross bar llvdividing the frame into upper and lower sections. This framecan be ornamented in any suitable manner such as with the beaded plates 12 and corner plates 13 or may be provided with anv other suit-able ornamentation, de

sired;

The back board 14: is secured within the frame by means of the screws 15 and 16, the screw 15 extending into the auxiliary frame rigidly mounted within the main frame 10 and the screw 16 engaging the cross bar 11 as clearly shown in F ig. 3. This auxiliary frame comprises the upper and lower strips 17 and 18, side strips 19 and an intermediate strip 20 which extends from the lower strip 18 to the cross bar 11 forming part of the main frame. It should be noted that each of the side strips 19 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 21 forming a pocket terminating short of the lower end of the strip and that the strip 20 has each side provided with a similar pocket 22, the pockets 21 and 22 being cut a suiiicient depth to permit the name cards 23 to be bowed slightly and then sprung into place with their ends fitting tightly in the pockets 21 and 22. A soft cloth 241 formed of felt or some other suitable material is carried by prevent the cards fro-m slipping out of place when the doors to be hereinafter described are removed for the purpose of changing any of the cards or putting new ones in place.

The backing board 25 for the mirror or ornamental plate 26 is rigidly mounted between thecross bar 11 and upper strip 17, the mirror fitting against the backing board and being held in place by the beading 27 held in place through the medium of screws 28. This mirror is simply for ornamental purposes and finishes off the upper end portion of the directory so that it will be attractive. It is of course obvious that if desired this could be a plain sheet of glass and the strips 28 shown behind the same in Fig. 3 could contain the name of the building together with the agents name if desired.

Each of. thedoors has its frame 29 provided with a glass 30 beaded in a. pocket 31 formed in the frame 29 and held in place by the upper and lowersecuring strips 32 whieh are secured to the frame by the screws 33. When the doors are in place the securing strips 32 are positioned above and below the name strips 23 and since these securing strips 32 are of less thickness than the name strips as shown clearly in Figs. 3, l and 5 the glass may engage the name strips and press them into tight engagement with the felt backing 24: to cause a frictional. engagement between the strips 23 and backing cloth 2% and provide additional means for holding the main strips in place in addition to providing a very tight closure which will securely protect the main strips from dust and from exposure to the weather. These doors are provided with binding strips 34 of felt or other suitable material so that when the doors are put in place and raised to the closed position the felt strips will be compressed between the doors and the frame 10 as shown in Fig. 5 thus providing an additional means for forming a tight closure. After the doors are in place the latch will be moved to a locked position as shown in Fig. 4 by a suitable key engaging the stem 36 and the door will then be securely held in a closed position.

When using this directory the doors are removed and the name strips can then be put in place very easily. These name strips are formed of heavy cardboard or the like and since they are resilient they can be bowed until their end portions can be slipped into the pockets 21 and 22 and then released and permitted to spring to an extended position as shown in Fig. 2. These strips cannot overlap since the pockets are not deep enough to permit of the same and will therefore remain in the set position while additional strips are being put in place or while the name strips .of tenants who have moved out are being removed and new strips being put in place. After the desired name strips are mounted within the directory thedoors will be replaced and locked and the glass will then press tightly against the name strips and hold them securely in place. I have therefore provided a building directory in which the name strips can be very easily and quickly removed and replaced and in which the name strips will be protected from dust and from exposure to the weather thus preventing the name strips from becoming soiled.

\Vhat is claimed is 1. A directory comprising a main frame having a lower strip, an auxiliary frame carried by said main frame including a lower bar, and terminating short of the upper edge of the lower strip of said main frame, a backing board carried by said auxiliary frame, a backing cloth carried by said backing board, name strips fitting against said backing cloth and having their end portions clamped between said backing cloth and said auxiliary frame, and a door for said main frame having its lower end portions resting upon the lower bar of said auxiliary frame and engaging the inner face of the lowerstrip of said main frame, said door engaging said name strips when in a closed position to securely hold said name ing boa-rd, name strips fitting against said backing cloth and having their end portions clamped between said backing cloth and auxiliary frame, a door for said main frame resting upon the lower bar of said auxiliary frame and engaging the lower strip of said main frame, a packing strip carried by said door and engaging said lip, and a glass carried by said door and engaging said name strips to hold the same in place when said door is closed, the upper and lower portions of said door remaining in spaced relation to said backing cloth.

3. Adirectory comprising :a main frame, an auxiliary frame carried by said main frame and including side bars provided with grooves forming pockets, a backing board carried by said auxiliary frame, a backing cloth carried by said backing board, resilient name strips fitting against said backing cloth and having their end portions extending into said pockets, anda door for .said main frame including a frame provided with a reduced inner edge portion forming a glass seat, a glass fitting withinsaid'seat, securing strips carried by said door frame and engaging said glass to hold *the same in place, said securing strips being of less thickness than said name strips whereby when said door is in a closed position said glass will engage said name strips and said securing strips will be positioned in spaced relation to said backing cloth.

4. A directory comprising a main frame including a cross bar positioned intermedr ate its height, an auxiliary frame carried by-said main frame and including upper and lower bars-andside bars, said side bars being provided withgrooves forming seats, a vertically extending bar positioned between said cross bar and the lower bar ofsaid auxiliary frame and provided with grooves forming seats cooperating with the Seats of the side barsof said auxiliary frame, a backing board carried by said auxiliary frame, a backing-cloth carried by said backing board, name strips fitting against said backing cloth and having their end portions extending into said pockets, and door resting upon the lower bar of said auxiliary frame and releasably connected with the cross bar of said main frame and engaging said name strips to hold the same in tight engagement with said backing cloth.

5. A directory comprising a main frame, an auxiliary frame carried by said main frame, a backing board carried by said auxiliary frame, a backing cloth carried by said backing board, name strips fitting between said backing cloth and said auxiliary frame, and a door including a frame, a glass carried by said door frame and engaging said name strips to hold the same in tight engagement with said backing cloth when said door is in a closed position, and securing strips for said glass of less thickness than the thickness of said name strips.

6. A directory including an auxiliary frame, a backing board carried by said frame, a backing cloth carried by said backing board, name strips fitting against said 20 carried by said door frame and engaging 25 said name strips when said door is in a locked position, and securing strips for said transparent plate, said securing strips being of less thickness than said name strips whereby said securing strips will be positioned in spaced relation to said backing cloth when said door is in a locked position. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS C. BURNSIDE. \Vitnesses:

A. G. JOHNSON, W. C. ABBOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

